Wire rope



Nov. 15, 1938. M. w. REED 2,136,865

WIRE ROPE Filed Oct. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l hweizfar: MQL COL/*4 W. E550,

M. W. REED WIRE ROPE Nov. 15, 1938.

2 sheets-snet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1936 1720976507: Max. COLM /4. E550,

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE ROPE Malcolm W. Reed, Shaker Heights, Ohio Application October 22, i936, Serial No. 107,064 2,. Claims. (01. 117-59) 4 This invention relates to wire ropes or cables and in particular to wire ropes designed for general hoisting purposes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wire rope in which the wire strands may all be laid into their helical positions in such a way as to provide proper distribution of the load of the rope among the strands, and at the same time provide a construction which will retard or prevent the wire strands from coming into contact with each other while the wire rope is in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rope which, when of a given strength, will bend without excessive stress over sheaves having dil5 ameters smaller than are now generally recognized as being proper for good rope usage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rope which has an improved resistance to slippage on sheaves and drums. 20 Theseand other advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds, in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse section of a rope structure embodying the present improvements;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the rope 25 structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section of a modified rope containing the invention;

Figure 4 is a transverse section of a still iurther modified rope structure containing the in- 30 vention;

Figure 5 is an elevational view 01 the rope structure shown in Figure 4;

Figures 6 and 7 are transverse sections of other modified rope structures containing the inven- 5 tion;

Figure 8 is a transverse section of a rope similar to the one shown in Figure 1, except that rope elements are used in the place of the strand elements of Figure 1. 1 40 In the drawings, the numeral 2 represents a core upon which the wire strands 3 are helically laid. This core may'be of metal, fiber, rubber, rubber fabric or a combination of any of these or other substances, which is of a softer or more 45 resilient material than the wire strands 3. As shown in the drawings, the strands 3 consist of a plurality of individually small wires, helically laid upon each other in the usual manner of making wire rope strands. While I have shown 50 six strands positioned around the periphery of .the core 2 consisting of nineteen wires each, it is to be understood that any other desired number may [be used.

The core 2 is provided with a cylindrical base 5 55 and substantially parallel sides 6 adapted to term spacing members I integral with the core 2. The spacing members 1, extending from the center of the core, are adapted to protrude to a point at least as far as the point of normal tangency between the strands 3, as shown diagrammati- 5 cally in Figure 1. The wire strands 3 are helically laid within the grooves formed in the core and, due to the spacing members 1, are prevented trom coming into contact with each other while the rope is in use. 10

If desired, the spacing members I may protrude substantially beyond the point of normal tangency of wire strands as indicated in Figure 7 or, if preferred, may terminate at a point within that indicated by a circle circumscribing the wire strands in their positions in the completed rope, as shown in Figure 6. Instead of providing a core having the integral spacing members I, as shown in Figure 1, if desired, the spacing members 1 may comprise a separate and distinct portion from the core 2, as shown in Figure 3. It will be understood that in a construction, as shown in Figure 3, the core sections, as defined by the core 2 and the spacing members I, can be of the same or different materials, but both will be of a softer or more resilient material than the wire strand forming the rope.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, the core 2 is provided with a plurality of grooves 8 alternating between ridges or projections 9 so that the wire strands 3 may be positioned within the grooves 8 and between spacing wires Ill mounted on the ridges or projections 9. These wires III, which are positioned between the wire strands 3, 4 may be round or any other desired shape and of a material softer and more resilient than the wire strands 3. The wires l0 may extend, 11 desired, beyond the circle which is circumscribed around the steel wire strands 3 as they lie in their finished position or, if desired, may be of such size as will not permit their protruding beyond such a circle. In a modified form illustrated in Figure 6, the core is made up of a plurality of sections l2, l3 and I4 instead of a single solid core, as shown in Figure 1. These sections may be arranged to produce a circular core having grooves provided with the circular base, as shown in Figure 1, whereby the wire strands 3 may be positioned therein. In this-form or construction, the core sections terminate at a point within a circle circumscribed around the wire strands 3.

In the modification shown in Figure 7, the core is composed 01. a number of sections, as shown in Figure 6, and is likewise provided with the grooves having the cylindrical base 5, as shown in Figure 1, for receiving the strands 3. However, in this construction, the spacing members 1 protrude beyond the point of normal tangency of the adjacent strands 3.

In the modification shown in Figure 8, the core comprises an identical construction as that described in Figure l, and instead of the grooves receiving wire strands 3 they are adapted to receive a plurality of wire ropes l5 helically laid thereon. Each of the ropes forming a part of the cable comprise a plurality of wire strands l8 helically laid in the usual manner, around a core I 1 of the same or diil'erent material than the core 2; in either case, the material being softer than the material 01' the wires I 6 forming the strands of the rope IS. The spacing members I, in Figure 8, protrude to a point tangential with a circle circumscribing the wire rope l5.

Wire ropes, for general purposes, are usually formed with a core of such substance, size and design that the wire strands, when laid up helically around this core, touch, or come close to touching,'each other. This is considered essential in order that each strand of the rope shall, when in service, take its proper share of the load carried by the rope During the working of the rope, the core, in many cases, wears away or compresses to a further degree and permits the wire strands to bear more and more tightly against each other. The

continued working of a rope under such condi-. tions causes the wires of one strand to wear into the wires of the adjacent strands, with a resultant interlocking which stiil'ens the entire mechanical construction of the rope, induces earlier fatigue of the wires, and thereby shortens the life and useful service of the wire rope.

However, under the present invention, I have constructed a wire rope which will permit the proper distribution of the load of the rope among the strands, and aflord adequate safety factors when used, for example, in elevator installations.

While I have shown and described specific erabodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim: 4

1. A cable comprising a plurality of separate wire ropes helically wound about a main core, said separate wire ropes including a plurality of wire strands wound about individual cores, said main core having a greater resiliency than the individual wire ropes wound thereover and provided with means adapted to prevent said wire ropes from coming into contact with each other.

2. A cable comprising a plurality of separate wire ropes helically wound about a main core, said main core provided with a plurality of grooves extending around its periphery, said separate wire ropes including a plurality of wire strands wound about individual cores, said cores having a resiliency greater than that of the wire strands wound thereover, said main core having a greater resiliency than the individual wire ropes wound thereover and including integral extending radial spacing members for said individual wire ropes projecting outwardly to a point tangential with a circle circumscribed by said wire ropes.

MALCOLM W. REED. 

